I've spent my career harnessing the spirit of creative disruption. My journey has been non-traditional at every step: I've been a professional jazz guitarist, 4-time tech entrepreneur, hyper-growth CEO, New York Times bestselling author, keynote speaker, venture capitalist, and urban reinventor. Today I lead Detroit Venture Partners, helping to rebuild my hometown of Detroit, Michigan by backing passionate entrepreneurs who can make a difference in our challenged city. It is a thrill to have a front-row seat to the greatest urban turnaround story in American history. I also am a frequent keynote speaker on innovation, creativity, and reinvention. I've written two books - Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity and The Road to Reinvention: How to Drive Disruption and Accelerate Transformation. My mission in life is to help the world be more creative. And yes, I still play a mean jazz guitar. More on me at JoshLinkner.com .

For What It's Worth -- 6 Pieces Of Advice From A Hardcore Pawnbroker

My longtime friend Les Gold has always been hardcore. He runs an enormous pawn shop in the heart of Detroit, buying and selling anything and everything to a slew of eager customers. On any given day, he’s dealing in custom jewelry, taxidermy, sailboats, and television sets – and he’s doing it alongside his children Ashley and Seth. A couple of years ago, their world got even crazier, when the cameras started rolling for the premiere of the hit TruTV show, Hardcore Pawn. Today, I couldn’t be prouder of Les, upon the release of his tell-all book, For What It’s Worth: Business Wisdom from a Pawnbroker. I’ve learned so much from him and his family over the years, so it’s only appropriate to share some of his pieces of advice with you, especially now with the book available nationwide.

It’s not where you’re from, it’s how bad you want it. Les is the grandson of a onetime rag-picker, and he’s become a quintessential example of building a business, brand, and fortune through initiative, drive, and an unwavering commitment to build something worthwhile and valuable. He’s pulled himself up by his bootstraps and applauds others – like you – doing the same.

Sales success starts from within. Whenever I was having a moment of self-doubt, Les would explain the sales cycle to me in a counterintuitive way. As he puts it, you have to project confidence in order to win over your customer. In order to get to this point, you have to believe in yourself, your product, and your ability to determine what it’s worth. Without this, your brochure doesn’t matter, nor does your fancy slide deck.

Reinvention is key. Les started in a tiny store where he could barely turn around – years later he has a warehouse. He started as a pawnbroker – now, he’s a television star and author. He shares my same belief that you should always look for ways to change proactively, when times are the best, rather than having change forced upon you or your business.

Experience builds your reputation. Whether you’re just starting out or a big shot CEO, your reputation is all you have. With that in mind, someone’s experience in dealing with you matters; really, it’s the only thing that matters. Because this is a crucial thing to build upon and protect, make it easy for people to do business with you. When that’s the case, they’ll want to come back.

Every aspect matters. You should experience everything your customer does, as soon as she walks through your door. What happens to her? Who greets her? How is she treated at every step of the process? In similar fashion, what happens when she walks through your competitor’s door? What are you doing differently from that? As Les explains in the book, you have to know your business inside and out, because each piece of an experience could make the difference between customers for you versus your competition.

Your work should have a higher purpose. From day one, Les has been driven by his family. For him, every dollar he makes isn’t just viewed as “profit,” but rather as the mechanism for him to feed his family and employees’ families. His purpose each and every day stems from his love for family. That’s not necessarily yours – it could be a passion for improving our planet, a notion that educational systems are broken, or a burning desire to make an app that changes how we live our daily lives. Find your purpose – whatever it may be – and live each day with this as your driving force. You’ll be amazed how much your work product improves, once there’s a reason for it.

Les Gold is a pawnbroker. Chances are good that you’re not – but there’s wisdom behind every corner. You just have to be hardcore enough to look for it.

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